Eric Nehm

Manhattan, Milwaukee

Milwaukee Bucks Reporter at The Athletic

Milwaukee Bucks beat reporter at @TheAthletic. Author of #100ThingsBucks. Maryville/K-State alum. It's pronounced Name.

Articles

Salary cap situation, roster needs and more

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

It's been over a week since the Indiana Pacers knocked the Milwaukee Bucks out of the playoffs in the first round. For a third straight season, the Bucks' offseason begins much sooner than the organization anticipated. Milwaukee's ending left other NBA front offices hoping this would be the offseason where their dreams of trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo might finally come true.
Amid Giannis trade chatter, the Bucks look stuck after another lost season

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm |Sam Amick

Following the devastation of seeing Damian Lillard go down with a torn Achilles in Sunday's Game 4, the Milwaukee Bucks' home locker room at Fiserv Forum quickly cleared out. Veterans such as Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis stuck around to talk to reporters about Lillard, one of their favorite teammates, and how the team would attempt to win Tuesday's Game 5 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers without him. Eventually, Giannis Antetokounmpo was the last player left in the room.
Damian Lillard tears Achilles, ending his season with Bucks on brink of elimination: Source

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm |Sam Amick

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter of Sunday's Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers, a league source confirmed Monday, ending his season and putting his status for next year in question. The result of Monday's imaging confirmed what Lillard and the organization feared when Lillard crumpled to the floor halfway through the first quarter, trying to track down an offensive rebound.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: We're Going To Help Damian Lillard 'Overcome'

2 weeks ago | basketball.realgm.com | Eric Nehm

Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke after the Milwaukee Bucks' Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers in which Damian Lillard was injured with an apparent Achilles tear. Antetokounmpo and Lillard have been teammates with the Bucks for the past two seasons following the latter's trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in September 2023. “A lot of people don’t see what Dame had to deal with, but I’ve been around him every single day and it’s hard,” said Antetokounmpo.
Bucks star Damian Lillard leaves Game 4 with leg injury, will not return

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Tobias Bass |Eric Nehm |Sam Amick

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard left Sunday night's NBA playoff game against the Indiana Pacers with a lower leg injury and will not return. With 6:11 left in the first quarter, Gary Trent Jr. missed a 3 from the right wing. The long rebound bounced off the floor near the top of the key, and Lillard made a break for it. As he broke back towards the ball, his legs went out from underneath him.
Gary Trent Jr.'s career night, aggressive defense give Bucks new life in series vs. Pacers

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

MILWAUKEE - Friday night was exactly what Damian Lillard envisioned when he told the Milwaukee Bucks front office to make a run at signing Gary Trent Jr. this past offseason. Well, maybe not exactly. Lillard could never have envisioned needing to work his way back on the floor in the middle of a playoff series after missing over a month with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) blood clot in his right calf.
Should Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks be in panic mode? 'I know what I gotta do'

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

Following a 123-115 loss in Indianapolis, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took questions from reporters about his team's defensive struggles, playing his first playoff game with Damian Lillard, a big-time Bobby Portis performance and many other aspects of his team's Game 2 defeat. To close his news conference, though, Antetokounmpo made it clear that he did not have anything more to say and instead wanted to move on to the Bucks' next game on Friday at Fiserv Forum.
Bucks, general manager Jon Horst agree on multi-year contract extension: Sources

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst has agreed to a multi-year contract extension, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. After weeks of negotiating, Horst, 42, remains in Milwaukee as the organization's lead decision maker. The Bucks' 2021 NBA championship, the franchise's second title, sits at the top of Horst's accomplishments on his resume.
Bucks' defensive breakdowns, slow starts have Doc Rivers mulling lineup changes

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

INDIANAPOLIS - After missing a shot at the rim on the opening possession of Game 2, Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma crashed to the floor. He picked himself up and sprinted back on defense, but he was too late. The Indiana Pacers were already two passes into their five-on-four transition possession. Kuzma managed to get back into the play and find a Pacer to cover, but as Kuzma backpedaled towards the lane, Tyrese Haliburton sprinted to the top of the key to receive the next pass.
Damian Lillard will play Bucks vs. Pacers Game 2 after blood clot recovery

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Eric Nehm

Following Tuesday morning's shootaround at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard told reporters he expects to play in Game 2 of the Bucks' first-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. Lillard, 34, was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) blood clot in his right calf in late March and missed the last 14 games of the regular season.